Moral Authorities Encourage Songkran Attendees to Dress Appropriately

[bobthomas]

It's a cultural thing. Here (in Thailand), if one dresses in sexual attire they are usually sex workers. That's why they call it a uniform!. In the West- woman can dress any which way they please! They know full well that self expression is part of their cultural heritage- it is enforced by the Police and judiciary.

Additionally,

Cultures that supress their emotions, often have emotional outlets in the form of celebrations in which simple revelry quickly turns to madness and all those pent up emotions come out.

The resultant conditionn is that, murders, sexual assaults, and all manner of mayhem usually abound during these "celebrations".

Throw in a bunch of drunk foreighners and you have a recipe for distaster.

We surmise that we have all these freedoms because we live in the "East"- Really we don't!

Women can't dress as they wish without sending a signal to the indigenous population that they are, "Up for it"

and ya call that freedom!

Ya can't have freedom without some type of durable Imperial control.

b

Edited April 9, 2015 by bobthomas

[toybits]

Once again, Thailand must take the lead from China on appropriate dressing during Songkran. Any more skin than shown in the attached photos should be deemed in appropriate!

[elenajkelly]

Don't tell me how to dress. Tell men not to rape.

[bobthomas]

It is both worrying and shocking that a state official would publicly blame sexual assaults on women on the clothes they wear.

The attitude that men cannot control their sexual desires is utterly wrong, and is dangerous.

Any man who sexually assaults a woman is a scumbag. Full stop. There's never an excuse for it.

Instead of blaming female clothing for sexual assaults, more focus should be given to educating children in schools about correct behaviour and appropriate sexual conduct. Just because a certain behaviour is culturally engrained that doesn't make it right.

Without a proper national schools PSHE programme, along with media support, I see little hope of sexual assaults decreasing significantly in Thailand in the near future. However, in Bangkok I have noticed that women are becoming more empowered and are more likely (I think) to not allow such advances from men. Bangkok, however, represents a monoculture that is distinct from the rest of Thailand.

With the advent of the AEC and the growth of ASEAN's powers, one can only hope that Thailand will mature into a developed, civilised country where women feel safe.

Fingers crossed.

You sumarise well but you miss the point. The woman are not being blamed- it is, simply the way things are ...here! How many women in Bangkok let their boses molest them? The number is pretty high. It's a system! and until this system is dismantled, nothing will change!

Edited April 9, 2015 by bobthomas

[JOC]

Dear Ministry of Culture.

For us stupid foreigners to really understand and respect Thai culture, we need pictures of inappropriate clad Thai women, so we report any suspicious behavior..............

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

I was in Buriram for Songkran many years ago. During the day there was almost zero women out on the streets between the ages of 6 to 60. We could not figure out why this was until we saw a few girls getting absolutely mauled by groups of young men.

It doesn't matter what they wear!!! There is no accountability in this country so the young men know they can physically and sexually assault a woman and nothing will happen. Until this changes women will never be safe here. You can thank the backwards politicians and the useless BIB for that. I do feel sorry for the women here. It must be very scary to know that there are so many potential predators out there and NOTHING to stop them.

[baboon]

I learned they sent legal experts to Europe to discover democracy (good luck for that).

Now I am curious how many teams they already sent to Malaysia to ponder the chances how to copy and implement the concepts of RELA. This religious police with sometimes 17 year old boys has the authority arresting 60 something year old foreign couples in their rented houses for not producing a marriage certificate under Khalwat (being together without marriage).

Check out your local sweatshop if they are working on SS-like uniforms for the burqa cops over here

Exactly my first thought: 'Holy crap, what if this shower end up with legal powers?' Thailand currently has the potential to become extremely sterile and boring the way things are progressing. Imagine if Thai cities became copies of Butterworth in Malaysia? You'd be better off in Scunthorpe...??????

[JOC]

>>Suesuan noted that sexual assault was primarily caused by inappropriate attire.<<

Sounds about right, blame the victim.............

[wabothai]

Would love to see a group photo of the "morality knights" .

Anybody?

[willyumiii]

Those of us who grew up in the 70's know that banning the wearing of bras would be appropriate for appropriate attire on Songkran.

Having a three day national water fight and wet t-shirt contest is rather pointless when bras are under the t-shirts.

Yes, pun is intended.

Get the point(s)???

[JOC]

Appropriate Songkran attire according to the Ministry of Double Morale:

Edited April 9, 2015 by JOC

[JOC]

Those of us who grew up in the 70's know that banning the wearing of bras would be appropriate for appropriate attire on Songkran.

Having a three day national water fight and wet t-shirt contest is rather pointless when bras are under the t-shirts.

Yes, pun is intended.

Get the point(s)???

post-147745-0-36479800-1396065662.jpg

She is beautiful!!

[DM07]

Please, "moral" "authorities" of Thailand: SHUT the F@#$ up ALREADY!

There have been reports of a 19 (?) year old girl, that was raped by her stepdad since she was 7 and mom was helping him.

A drunk stepdad smashing (quiet literally) a 2 year old toddler to death, with no- one helping!

A couple torturing a little Lao girl for years with boiling water!

Not a word from "moral" "authorities"!

But women force rape upon them , if they dress "inappropriate" during Songkhran!

Blaming the victim, giving a pass to the criminal!

What is wrong with you people?

[TigerandDog]

"The Moral Promotion Center has laid out “7 Values” that they’re encouraging the public to adhere to. Following these values will help attendees enjoy the festivities safely.

1. Show Discipline: Follow the law. Obey traffic laws and drive within the speed limit. Stand in line when waiting for public transportation.

2. Be Kind: Show kindness and compassion to others by lending a hand and offering support.

3. Be Patient: Tolerate anger from individuals who are drunk to avoid unnecessary disputes. Avoid gambling.

4. Be Responsible: Know your duties in society to safeguard the safety of others.

5. Be Giving: Share and give to others. Be helpful to others.

6. Exercise Caution: Be cautious in everything that you do. Avoid doing anything that would bring harm to you or others.

7. Consciousness: Know the consequences of your actions; not drinking and driving. "

What a flamin joke these are:

1. Obey traffic laws and drive within the speed limit. - WHAT TRAFFIC LAWS, There aren't any, and as for drive within the speed limits WHY INSIST ON THIS NOW when for the rest of the year it's a full speed ahead grand prix race, and as for motorbikes, they would make excellent kamikaze pilots because all they are interested in is themselves. They have no consideration for other road users.

3. Tolerate anger from those who are drunk. HOW CAN THEY GET DRUNK IF IT'S ALCOHOL FREE ZONES?

As far as dress being the cause of rapes, what a lot of BS. This culture minister seems to know very little about her own culture and the way women dressed. If she is such a prude why was Bang Rajun allowed to be shown on tv with bare breasted women. The boobs weren't even pixelated out. yet further instances of hypocrisy can be seen regularly on Channel V in video clips where female dancers butts and bikini or bra covered boobs are pixelated out. PERHAPS THIS MINISTER IS A MUSLIM. That might account for these ridiculous dress codes she is trying to impose.

[DM07]

Those of us who grew up in the 70's know that banning the wearing of bras would be appropriate for appropriate attire on Songkran.

Having a three day national water fight and wet t-shirt contest is rather pointless when bras are under the t-shirts.

Yes, pun is intended.

Get the point(s)???

post-147745-0-36479800-1396065662.jpg

She is beautiful!!

Agreed! ...she also would be in "appropriate" attire!

[Lord Lucan]

This image used to be on the Ministry of Culture website (until the 2011 Songkran episode):

That image was a portion of this original painting by the Thai artist Sompop Budtarad:

The offending image was changed after the MoC condemned topless revellers during the 2011 celebration and a flurry of people pointed out that the MoC had an image of topless girls on their website !

Perhaps what is "appropriate" depends largely on how it looks when you wear it (or don't) yourself !

[TigerandDog]

I have read a few articals recently where Muslim men are claiming that if a woman is raped, it is her own fault because she was probably dress inappropriatly!----willyumiii

...but I wont send you just 1 of the links from the many articles that I have read stating this ------(Because they don't excist ?) but hey,.... lets not let facts get in the way of a little bigotry .................

Hi oxo1947, you are a stupid moron if you believe that. Perhaps if you did some real research and read some of the news articles on recent rapes in Australia by Muslim men on Western women, they all used this very reason as justification for rape. It was the girls fault because she was wearing what THEY deemed to be inappropriate clothing. They also justified their actions by stating that western girls were pigs and deserved to be raped. No bigotry there just FACTS.

[onelasttime]

It's a cultural thing. Here (in Thailand), if one dresses in sexual attire they are usually sex workers. That's why they call it a uniform!. In the West- woman can dress any which way they please! They know full well that self expression is part of their cultural heritage- it is enforced by the Police and judiciary.

Additionally,

Cultures that supress their emotions, often have emotional outlets in the form of celebrations in which simple revelry quickly turns to madness and all those pent up emotions come out.

The resultant conditionn is that, murders, sexual assaults, and all manner of mayhem usually abound during these "celebrations".

Throw in a bunch of drunk foreighners and you have a recipe for distaster.

We surmise that we have all these freedoms because we live in the "East"- Really we don't!

Women can't dress as they wish without sending a signal to the indigenous population that they are, "Up for it"

and ya call that freedom!

Ya can't have freedom without some type of durable Imperial control.

b

Interesting thought process.... I may be wrong but I think you are saying that we should accept the cultural mores and values of any country because it is 'their culture' .. not ours. Perhaps up to a point.... but I sure as hell can't accept honour killings or dousing your new bride in acid because the dowry wasn't high enough. And I sure as hell refuse to accept the concept that rape is the fault of women. I am not clear as to what counts as 'sexual attire'...I'm guessing it is the same thought process that led Victorian Britain to cover the legs of tables lest males become aroused at the thoughts it may conjour up.

'In olden days a glimpse of stocking was seen as something shocking'... thats how the song goes doesn't it ?

Maybe Thailand will mature one day.

[JAG]

I learned they sent legal experts to Europe to discover democracy (good luck for that).

Now I am curious how many teams they already sent to Malaysia to ponder the chances how to copy and implement the concepts of RELA. This religious police with sometimes 17 year old boys has the authority arresting 60 something year old foreign couples in their rented houses for not producing a marriage certificate under Khalwat (being together without marriage).

Check out your local sweatshop if they are working on SS-like uniforms for the burqa cops over here

Exactly my first thought: 'Holy crap, what if this shower end up with legal powers?' Thailand currently has the potential to become extremely sterile and boring the way things are progressing. Imagine if Thai cities became copies of Butterworth in Malaysia? You'd be better off in Scunthorpe...

I suspect that the vast majority of Thais treat the pronouncements of these uptight clowns with as much derision as we do. They are largely ignored.

Incidentally I've been to both Butterworth and Scunthorpe, and on balance I think you're wrong. Butterworth is dull, but Scunthorpe on a wet Sunday in March plumbs the utter depths of desperate tedium!

[Jeffreyake]

Dear all Thailand bashers!

as I've red in this topic and many others - you hate Thailand, Thais, Thai government etc.

so why do you torture yourself so fiercely? why don't you go back to your wonderful civilized Western countries?

is it a kind of kinky weird pleasure - to hate a place, suffer and still live here?

Edited April 9, 2015 by Jeffreyake

[casindonet]

So where did I keep all my Armani suits....better get em all ironed up & ready get splash during the songkran.

[slapout]

not knowing how many individuals are on the payroll within this group, for what is being passed off, as realistic human thinking/reasoning the entire goup could be used as live targets by new military concripts. whatever the final result, it would be a inprovment for the surviviors.

[DM07]

Dear all Thailand bashers!

as I've red in this topic and many others - you hate Thailand, Thais, Thai government etc.

so why do you torture yourself so fiercely? why don't you go back to your wonderful civilized Western countries?

is it a kind of kinky weird pleasure - to hate a place, suffer and still live here?

What a great and enlightening comment!

How constructively you contribute to the discussion!

Great!

Not!

[jorgenbo]

wearing smart stylish, sexy dress does not cause sexual assault. Only pig men cause such assault. Any lady no matter how dressed or even undressed should be free from terrorism and assault. A naked lady can walk the streets of Damascus in Syria . No one will harras her, at best offer covering and local transportation.W hat is wrong in Pattaya or Bangkok or other city. Please demonstrate HONOR and Manliness!

[baboon]

I learned they sent legal experts to Europe to discover democracy (good luck for that).

Now I am curious how many teams they already sent to Malaysia to ponder the chances how to copy and implement the concepts of RELA. This religious police with sometimes 17 year old boys has the authority arresting 60 something year old foreign couples in their rented houses for not producing a marriage certificate under Khalwat (being together without marriage).

Check out your local sweatshop if they are working on SS-like uniforms for the burqa cops over here

Exactly my first thought: 'Holy crap, what if this shower end up with legal powers?' Thailand currently has the potential to become extremely sterile and boring the way things are progressing. Imagine if Thai cities became copies of Butterworth in Malaysia? You'd be better off in Scunthorpe...

I suspect that the vast majority of Thais treat the pronouncements of these uptight clowns with as much derision as we do. They are largely ignored.

Incidentally I've been to both Butterworth and Scunthorpe, and on balance I think you're wrong. Butterworth is dull, but Scunthorpe on a wet Sunday in March plumbs the utter depths of desperate tedium!

Whitley bay, then. Don't you dare knock the Bay...?

[MrBrad]

[DM07]

rape1.jpg

Excellent!

[Lupatria]

To start at square one:

what is wrong with a country where moral authorities (apostles) are needed to tell men that rape should not be their favorite past time?

But if you really have to go for it- get a couple of bonus points in court blaming it on the fact the victim was not wearing what the guardians of moral call appropriate attire.

[Gandtee]

This image used to be on the Ministry of Culture website (until the 2011 Songkran episode):

The offending image was changed after the MoC condemned topless revellers during the 2011 celebration and a flurry of people pointed out that the MoC had an image of topless girls on their website !

When my kids have grown up and left home I'm going to hang this in my bedroom if the wife is okay with it

Why if the wife is OK with it? Is she a member of the Thai Moral Authority? or feeling inadequate? As for the kids, I am sure that they have seen more pornography on the internet than you have. I find this very beautiful and would love to hang it on my wall.

[Tchooptip]

Dear all Thailand bashers!

as I've red in this topic and many others - you hate Thailand, Thais, Thai government etc.

so why do you torture yourself so fiercely? why don't you go back to your wonderful civilized Western countries?

is it a kind of kinky weird pleasure - to hate a place, suffer and still live here?

Dear all Thailand bashers!

Edited April 9, 2015 by Tchooptip